I t's usual for a manufacturer to carry over part of
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an earlier design to a new model or at least some of the major components. To change everything at once is normally considered just too expensive and in any case a thread of continuity maintains customers' confidence in the product. But when Iveco Ford chose to call its current 7.5 tonne range the New Cargo for the UK market—it's called EuroCargo on the Continent—it was no idle boast, for operators will not find much they recognise from past Cargo models other than the disc brakes and the name.
There were 58,000 7.5-tonne Cargos sold from 1981. When Ford designed it during the late 70s much of its content was sourced in Britain. The New Cargo looks to Italy to trace its ancestry; to models inspired by Fiat. The two have little if anything in common.
• PRODUCT PROFILE
Langley, the home of Cargo, revitalised with a .£22m investment, assembles right-hand drive versions of the new 75E for home and abroad. Haulage models were introduced in July 1991 and now the range has been extended with chassis specifically aimed at the light tipper operator. They incorporate a shallower air cleaner, installed below frame height, and larger 17.5in wheels and taller 9.5R profile tyres in place of the standard 16in with 225/75R covers, Both improve ground clearance, while multi-leaf springs and anti-roll bars are fitted front and rear, replacing taper leaf springs, to optimise on/off road ride and stability Short wheelbase dimensions of 3.11 and 3.69m will accommodate body lengths of 4.1 and 4.7m. and a slightly stronger front axle reflects the tipper application.
The range is powered by a choice of two engines, both now built in France. We tested the 3.91-litre air-to-air charge-cooled fourcylinder unit, rated at 100kW (134hp), last year (CM 7-13 May 1993). It might have been the more appropriate choice for our tipper test model which is equipped with the alternative 5.86-litre six-cylinder turbocharged unit rated at 105kW (141hp) at 2,700rpm. A wastegate valve is used to increase turbo boost and
enhance torque levels at lower revs. At high revs excess pressure is released into the exhaust.
Oil-filled hubs, front and rear, incorporate non adjustable preset bearings. For vehicles with an off-road application the location for brake cylinders can be specified further inboard to gain the protection of the chassis side member. All tipper models incorporate a cross-axle differential lock on the drive axle.
Low maintenance batteries and 24-volt electrics come as standard, while plastic conduit encapsulates the wiring looms and the terminals are waterproofed.
The three-man cab is pressed in Brescia, Italy, along with the chassis side and cross members. Galvanized doors and screen bottom rail reduce the risk of corrosion but the real breakthrough is the extended use of SMC, now accounting for up to 45% of the cab's construction, including the roof and fuel tank on this model. Apart from being totally rust-free it's tough and weighs only half as much as an equivalent steel component.
The test vehicle was fitted with a 3.0m3 Welford Alpha 75 steel double dropside tipping body with Edbro 3LNC hydraulic front end tipping gear. The five-speed aluminium Eaton/lveco box—with integral bell housing—offers a PT-0 drive at side and rear.
• PRODUCTIVITY
The very low body height makes worthwhile fuel consumption comparisons difficult as most of the vehicles we test over this route are PO' .4 equipped with either box or curtainsided bodywork.
lithe choice is between the six-cylinder and the four-cylinder Iveco engines, then at first sight the slightly lower powered 3.91-litre charge-cooled four looks to be the better option. With returns of 19.8 litres/100Icm (1424mpg) over the motorway section and 16.6 litres/100Iun (17mpg) over A-roads the six-cylinder powered tipper was almost 14% thirstier than its stablemate, with a full height box, in a slightly slower time.
For motorway and A-road running it is undoubtedly under geared and would benefit from a faster final drive ratio, While the vehicle runs willingly at the legal 70mph limit, engine speed is uneconomically high at 2,900rpm, 200rpm above maximum power. Similarly at 50mph over the A-road sections revving at about 2,000rpm it would be more economical to take advantage of the 435Nm (3211bft) of torque which peaks at just 1,400rpm. But it looks ideally suited to work around town at between 30-40 mph.
For overall performance the slow final drive ratio can only attempt to compensate for the deficiency of the five-speed box where perhaps the six-speed box, with its lower first gear, might have been a better way to provide the restart gradeability we achieved. That would have improved the top end performance but probably lose out on local operations. It really is a case of speccing the vehicle for the job in hand.
With servicing intervals of 40,000km Iveco offers scheduled servicing costs claimed to be 40% less than the competition.
I ON THE ROAD
With a GVW of 7.5 tonnes only recently qualified drivers will require an LGV licence. In the long term this will inevitably affect the popularity of this weight category which is so favoured by the rental companies and accounts for one in four of all LGVs sold above 3.5 tonnes. Why the legislators think it apt that someone more used to driving a car than a truck should be allowed to proceed lOmph faster on the open road than heavier LGVs driven by professionals remains one of those quirks of British law that defies logic.
The power of the 75E's lively six-cylinder turbocharged engine makes it very easy to keep the road speed up around the legal limit. Acceleration is quick and the brakes had a performance to match. But under maximum braking on the test track, locking the wheels accelerated the load of aggregate to the front of the low sided body and precluded further stops of the same severity. Under more normal retardation braking is reassuringly progressive and well balanced side to side, but by the end of the day on the road the fronts were beginning to squeal under light application.
Good feedback through the steering wheel and integral power makes those slow, tight manoeuvres all the easier, while at speed it sits firmly on the road. The multi-spring pack has stiffened up the ride but with a suspension seat it is not uncomfortable.
At speeds above 80km/h the wind around the front screen becomes obtrusive and combined with the high revving engine produces an unexpectedly high level of interior noise for which there can be no excuse.
• CAB COMFORT
The New Cargo has a good sized cab in proportion to its weight with room enough for the driver's suspension seat and dual passenger seat which still allows the driver to move across for kerbside deliveries without much difficulty It is mounted low on the chassis but heavy truck standards are evident The doors, common throughout the revised Iveco range, open fully through 90° to give good access via a single step. Inside the trim has already been revised since our last drive. The grey fascia trim has a crinkly finish and stout rubber mats on the floor are practical to clean and look as if they are made to last. Steering and driver's seat are adjustable but we only found it necessary to move the latter. Seat trim is bright and cheery and hard wearing, we are assured.
The backrest on the passenger seat folds forward and can be used as a surface on which to rest packages, while the space under the seat will house a few tools.
Forward and sideways vision is very good but while the styling pays little homage to its